Check out the supposed employer carefully. Having what appears to be a legitimate website means nothing. Try a search using their name and the word “scam.” Ask for a full address and landline phone number plus contact details of other employees.

Simply don’t pay in advance for anything. Most, if not all, genuine employers would never ask for this—and certainly not until the final stages of a job offer. And never, never, never wire payment to someone you don’t know.

Don’t supply personal information until you’ve had a job offer AND you’re 100% sure it’s genuine. Don’t include personal contact information in a job-wanted posting — instead use a service where replies have to come through the jobs board.

Read the fine print on any application form or job contract you receive.

Do these four things; look out for the telltale signs we have listed, and you should be well-placed to defend yourself against summer jobs scams.